Bed and similar article.



W. E. FRANK.

BED AND SIMILAR ARTICLE;

APPLICATION FILD IULY 26.1916.

1,245,211. v Patented Nov. 6, 1917."

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IAM E- FR S oU sM s wR .Afssrerca' no rosemaqmss Maw: FACTUBINGCOMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A .GORPORATIQN-OZF 'MISSOURI.

BED AND SIMILAR ARTICLE.

Specification of Letterslatent.

Patented News; 19117.

Application-filed July 26, 1916. Serial No. 111,482.

together, such for example, as the side rail and corner post of a bed.

One 'object'of my invention is to provide a davenport, bed, table or other article of furniture in which two of the members thereof are detachably connectedtogether by a means of novel construction which insures said members being held perfectly rigid with relation to each other.

Another object is to provide a corner connection for beds and other articles of furniture which holds the two members rigid and at right angles to each other and also permits one member, for example, the side rail of a bed, to be removed easily from the corner post and reversed. I 7

And still another object of my invention is to provide a bed in which the corner post, the side rail and the cross member are connected together in a novel manner that insures a strong and rigid structure which can be manufactured at a low cost and assembled easily. I have heroin illustrated my invention embodied in a metal bed, but I wish it to be understood that my broad idea is not limited to such a structure, as my invention is applicable to various other articles of furniture that comprise two angularly-disposed members which are detachably connected together.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a part of a metal bed constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the side rail reversed.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. '3.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A

designatesthe corner post of abedyBdesig nates one of the side rails and C designates one ofthe cross members that connects'two of the corner poststogether. The'corner post is :provided with a socketpiece LD whose inner surface is rectangularlyshaped, so that one corner portlon of same will con form to the angle-shaped side =rail that pro jects into the socket piece, and an expansible clamping piece is arranged inside .of the socket piece, so as tosecurely clamp theiside rail inposition and hold wit-perfectly :rigid with relation to the corner post. :In the form of my invention herein shownv the socket piece 1) consists of a box-shaped member open at one end and having its'bottom- Wall 1 secured to thecorner one or more rivets or bolts 2,. as shown in Fig. 4, or in any othersuitable manner. The .expansible clamping means that is.;arranged 'inside'of the socket piece D preferably consists of two angle-shaped clamping members 3 that are arranged diagonally opposite each other-,as shown in Fig. 3, and a device, such, for example, as a screw 4, for forcing the members 3 apart," so as to clamp the side rail B tightly against the corner portion of the socket piece'D that embrace said siderai'l. The screw 4 passes through a screw-threaded opening in one of the clamping members A, and the inner end ofsaid screw fits loosely ina recess in the other clamping member. The socket piece prevents the clamping members from turning. Consequently, when the screw is turned inone direction the members 3 will be forced apart,"and when said screw is -tur-nedfi'in the opposite direction the inner end .of the screw will be retracted sufficiently-.toapei'mit the clamping member 3 in which the recess is formed to move outiof clamping engagement with the side rail. The screw 4 projectsoutwardlythrough an opening 5 intone corner of the socket piece-D and is provided at its outer end with a head or finger piece 4, so as to permit the screw to be turned easily without the aid of a. screw driver, wrench or other tool. I

To reverse the side rail B it is only nec essary to loosen the screw 4, remove the side rail and turn it over-into thepositiOH shown in Fig. 2, and thenjinsert the end ofi the side rail in the socket piece D between the lower left hand corner portion of same, looking at- Fig. 2 and the two clamping post A by members 3. It will be noticed, by referring to Fig. 1, that when the side rail is arranged in the position shown in said figure only the upper clamping member 3 bears against the side rail and the bottom clamping member bears only against the corner portion of the socket piece that lies diagonally opposite the side rail, thereby causing the thrust that the upper clamping member exerts on the side rail to be applied equally to both flanges of the side rail and in a direction extending diagonally of the socket piece. When the side rail is reversed, as shown in Fig. 2, the upper clamping member 3 bears against the vertical flange of the side rail and against the top wall of the socket piece, and the bottom clamping member bears against the horizontal flange of the side rail and against the right hand vertical wall of the socket piece, the opening 5 in the socket piece through which the screw 4 passes being large enough to permit the screw 4 and the clamping members 3 to shift laterally sufficiently to provide a space for the horizontal flange of the side rail. The clamping action in both instances is the same, however, as the thrust is from corner to corner of the socket piece. In other words, whether the side rail is arranged in the position shown in Fig. 1 or in the position shown in Fig. 2, the expansible clamping means inside of the socket piece alwaysbears against the inner side of the side rail and against the corner portion of the socket piece that lies diagonallyopposite the inner surface of the side rail. In order that the socket piece D may be used with both right and left hand corner posts, I have provided said socket piece with an additional hole 5 for receiving the screw 4 when the socket piece is used on the right hand corner post of the bed. The socket piece D and the clamping members 8 preferably consist of castings, each of the clamping members 3 having an angle shaped portion whose two legs or flanges are connected together by an integral web 3 provided at its center with a thickened portion 3* in which the screw threaded opening and recess for the screw 4 are formed.

In the preferred form of my invention the socket piece D is used to support one end of the cross member C of the bed,and while said cross member can be connected to said socket piece in various ways, I prefer to provide the socket piece I) with an integral sleeve 6 of rectangular shape that is adapted, to receive one end of the angleshaped cross member C and lock said cross member in position by means of a wedge 7 that is driven into the sleeve in snug engagement with the inner side of the cross member C and the corner portion of the sleeve 6 that lies diagonally opposite the inner side of the cross member 0.

1 While my invention is particularly applicable to the construction of beds, it is also applimble to the construction of other articles which comprise two angularly-disposed members that are intended to be taken apart, but which should be held perfectly rigid with relation to each other when they are assembled. Furthermore, while I have herein illustrated the socket piece as consisting of a casting that is detachably connected to one part of the structure, I wish it to be understood that-it. is immaterial, so far as my broad idea is concerned, how the socket piece is formed or combined with the member that carriers same. It is also immaterial how the expansible clamping means is formed, so long as it comprises a plurality of parts that conform approximately to the interior of the socket piece, and thus cause the member that is clamped in position to be embraced on one side of the socket piece and on the opposite side by the expansible clamping means.

My invention, when embodied in a bed, eliminates the possibility of the foot and head portions of the bed wabbling or assuming an inclined position, owing to the fact that the exp'ansible clamping means in the socket pieces hold the side rails and is disassembled the screw 4 in each of the socket pieces can be screwed up sufficiently to force the clamping members in the socket piece tightly against the inner sides of the socket piece, and thus securely hold the clamping members in-position. Therefore, in addition to the other desirable features previously mentioned, my improved corner connection has the added advantage of being constructed in such a manner that the parts of same are not apt to drop out of position and be lost when the structure of which the corner connection forms a part is disassembled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters'Patout, is:

1. In a structure of the character. described, a socket piece provided on its inner side with two angular corner portions arranged diagonally opposite each other, two clamping members arranged inside of said socket piece and provided with surfaces that conform approximately to the shape of said corner portions, and means for forcing saidclamping members away from each other so as to exert pressure on said corner portions.

2. In a structure of the character described, a socket piece having a rectangularly-shaped inner surface, two independently movable clamping members separate and distinct from said socket piece and having no direct connection with same, said clamping members being angle-shaped and arranged inside of said socket piece diagonally opposite each other, and means for forcing said clamping members away from each other.

3. In a structure of the character described, the combination of a socket piece having a rectangularly-shaped inner sur face, an angle-shaped member projecting into said socket piece, two angle-shaped clamping members arranged inside of said socket piece, and means for moving said clamping members bodily in opposite directions on a line extending diagonally of said socket piece so as to securely clamp said angle-shaped member to said socket piece.

4. In a structure of the character described, a hollow socket piece having a rectangularly-shaped inner surface, an angleshaped member projecting into said socket piece, and means movable diagonally of said socket piece and arranged in said socket piece in engagement with both flanges of said angle-shaped member and in engagement with the diagonally opposite corner portion of the socket piece for clamping said angle-shaped member against the inner surface of said socket piece.

5. In a structure of the character described, a hollow socket piece having a rectangula-rly-shaped inner surface, an angleshaped member projecting into said socket piece, two angle-shaped clamping members arranged inside of said socket piece, diagonally opposite each other, and means operable in a diagonal direction from the exterior of said socket piece for forcing said clamping members apart, so as to secure said angle-shaped member in position.

6. A corner connection for beds and similar articles, consisting of a hollow socket piece of rectangular outline having an opening in one corner thereof, two angle-shaped clamping members arranged inside of said socket piece diagonally opposite each other, and a screwthreaded device projecting through said opening and through a screwthreaded opening in one of said clamping members and bearing against the other clamping member for forcing said clamping members apart.

7. A corner connection for beds and similar articles, consisting of a box-shaped socket piece provided at one corner with an opening, a pair of angle-shaped clamping members arranged inside of said socket piece diagonally opposite each. other, and an operating device for said clamping members that projects through the opening in the corner of the socket piece.

8. A bed, comprising a corner post, a rectangularly-shaped socket piece on said corner post, an angle-shaped side rail projecting into said socket piece, angle shaped clamping members arranged inside of said socket piece diagonally opposite each other and having no direct connect-ion with said socket piece, and means for separating said clamping members so as to cause them to eXert pressure on the inner side of the side rail and on the corner portion of the socket piece arranged diagonally opposite the side rail.

9. A bed provided with a corner post, an angle shaped side rail, a box-shaped socket piece on said corner post into Which the end of said side rail projects, two angle-shaped clamping members arranged inside of said socket piece diagonally opposite each other, a web on each of said clamping members that ties the two flanges thereof together, and a screw adjustably mounted in a thickened portion on the web of one of the clamping members and arranged with its inner end projecting into a recess in a thickened portion on the web of the other clamping member.

WVILLIAM E. FRANK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

